Story: Fiction

Ngaio Marsh, 1977

In this documentary, famed crime novelist Ngaio Marsh explains how she came to write her first book, A man lay dead (1934), while living in London. She makes it sound very easy and quite unplanned. Prior to this, however, she tried to write a novel set in New Zealand but was unable to – the creative process was not so straightforward on that occasion. 

Using this item

NZ On Screen
Reference: Three New Zealanders: Ngaio Marsh [videorecording]. Producer, John Barnett. Auckland: Endeavour Films, 1977.

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How to cite this page:

Lydia Wevers, 'Fiction - Women writers, 1920s and 1930s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/41925/ngaio-marsh-1977 (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Lydia Wevers, published 22 Oct 2014, updated 1 Aug 2015